'Midnights'

Taylor Swift started something with Midnights where, from here on, each album she released instantly became the biggest of her career. The shift in her sound and writing style ushered in by folklore brought a whole new generation of Swifties into the fold, and her popularity soared to heights that were unimaginable back during the 1989 era, because everyone thought she had already conquered the world. Her return to pop following two years of indie/folk sounds was warmly received — to put it mildly — by fans and critics alike. The album was a critical darling, going on to win Taylor her fourth Album of the Year Grammy, making her the only artist in history to win it four times (the previous record of three is held only by two artists in addition to Swift: Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder).

All that said, this album has some high highs for me, but I don’t love it the way some do, and I find a good number of the tracks fairly forgettable. Let’s get into it.

Note, in prior years I’ve assigned two ratings on a scale of 0-10, with the first score being my immediate impression following the first listen and the second score being where the song had settled for me after many listens. This album only has one set, reflecting how I now rank the songs, because I no longer have my first-listen rankings (sorry this review is four years late; you get what you get).

Song by Song:

“Lavender Haze”: 5.5/10,

A good tone-setter for what the rest of the album will sound like, but nothing terribly impressive happening here.

“Maroon”: 5/10,

A good concept, but I think she stretched the color metaphor to its absolute limit. The song itself does have a fun sound, the lyrics just don’t hit for me.

“Anti-Hero”: 6.5/10,

Probably the most memed song she’s had in a while (“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me”), with a catchy sound and a fun video. It’s not groundbreaking though.

“Snow On The Beach” (feat. Lana Del Rey): 3/10,

The version with more Lana is better; one could be forgiven for not even realizing she was on the original version. Another metaphor in this song that gets stretched thin, but with a less interesting sound than “Maroon”.

“You’re On Your Own, Kid”: 10/10,

Now we’re cookin’ with gas. I absolutely love this song. One of the very few true 10/10 ratings I’ve given to any song, Taylor or otherwise. The lyrics and message, the sound, everything about it is just incredible. This is the peak of this album, and the song is in my top ten of all time.

“Midnight Rain”: 7.5/10,

This one is good. Emotional without relying too heavily on a metaphor to get the message across. Fun, very Midnights-y sound, too.

“Question…?”: 5/10,

This one is a bit of a head scratcher. I just don’t really get the point. It’s sorta catchy and some people really like it, so I’m not sure what I’m missing.

“Vigilante Shit”: 3/10,

One of Taylor’s worst baddie tracks. It’s old after the first listen, and it doesn’t hold a candle to her work in this field from reputation.

“Bejeweled”: 7/10,

Fun! Empowering! The video has Laura Dern!

“Labyrinth”: 5/10,

As with “Question…?”, I’m a little lost on this one. (These reviews are genuine but the puns are intentional. @Men, yes, I’m single.)

“Karma”: 6/10,

A little too cute by half, but… it is cute. Although I guess this means the forgotten Karma album really isn’t coming.

“Sweet Nothing”: 7/10,

A very sweet song. Sort of the dream, really. I love the lyrics so much that they make up a little for a fairly not-exciting sound (this is the “It’s Nice To Have A Friend” of this album).

“Mastermind”: 7/10,

This one is a little self-congratulatory, but my god, for the woman who drops easter eggs for forthcoming projects years in advance, I’ll allow it. And it is a fun song.

“The Great War”: 7/10,

I like this one, but maybe that’s the middle-aged dad in me (not yet he isn’t 🫦).

“Bigger Than The Whole Sky”: 2/10,

Lame. Sucks. Boo.

“Paris”: 4.5/10,

Not her best work. She should stick to London.

“High Infidelity”: 6/10,

Fun play on words here, but ultimately still suffers from the sort of forgettable nature of this album’s mid-tier songs.

“Glitch”: 5.5/10,

Signature Midnights sound. But, it’s another forgettable bonus track, regrettably.

“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”: 8.5/10,

Okay, now we’re back to something I can work with. Messy relationships, wasted/stolen youth, lingering trauma, what’s not to like? Also, it sounds great, with a haunted vibe from the very start. Big fan of this one.

“Dear Reader”: 8/10,

It took me a while to come around on this one, but it’s one of my favorites. It’s a whole mountain of self-aware advice, addressed directly to readers, from the best writer of our generation.

“Hits Different”: 7/10,

A breakup song that sounds so upbeat and fun, even Taylor’s mom didn’t realize it was a sad song. I enjoy this one.

“You’re Losing Me”: 9/10,

The second best track from the Midnights era. A top-tier intertwining of metaphor and sound, devastating lyrics, just… everything about it. Yes. YES.

Final Thoughts

It’s kind of crazy that the album that broke the record for Album of the Year Grammy wins is a mid-tier album in that artist’s catalog, but that’s just Taylor-fucking-Swift for you.